Pudhucherry - Ashram

When a tourist visits Pondicherry he would surely never miss the opportunity of visiting the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. This world renowned ashram was founded in the year 1926, by Sri Aurobindo, a revolutionary turned Yogi from Bengal along with The Mother (Mira Alfassa) a French painter as well as a sculptor. It is indeed the best known landmark of Pondicherry and the ashram attracts people from all over the world. Here one experiences the serenity, the great peace and all the wisdom practiced by ancient saints and sages of India. The main ashram building is situated at the marine street just behind the Raj Nivas which is surrounded by several buildings involved with educational and cultural activities of the Aurobindo Society. The central courtyard of the main ashram building has the flower festooned memorials of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo under the frangipani tree.

      One can find peace prevailing in this memorial place. People come and meditate in this ashram. The Mother’s love for flowers is very well exhibited as the lush gardens expose this situation so as to fulfill her liking. The building on the eastern sea front of the city served as the residence of the Master and the Mother. Sri Aurobindo elaborated a system of Internal Yoga in order to practice Yoga and Modern Science. This unusual exercise of spirituality is intended to make life more beautiful, not by neglecting the world but by living as a part of it. The dwellers in this Ashram have formed a spiritual community that gives them an aura of sublime peace and calmness prevailing through Pondicherry. Now the ashram consists of 2000dwellers including 400 students of the centre of education. They work towards attaining the life-affirming aim of the Master. The Ashram in the present is like a mini township. It is an awesome estate of 120 buildings. These buildings serve as educational institutes and as industries. It takes care of the needs of the inmates of the ashram and various departments look after the basic requirements of food, clothing, and shelter, as well as medical care.

One can find farms, gardens, a printing press, some small scale industries, libraries and facilities for recreation as well as cultural activities. An important part of the ashram is the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. The system practiced here is entirely different. The belief is that every child is unique in its thinking and the centre of education tries to help them grow and nurture them in their individual way and leave the choice to the children. They don’t mingle them together into the frame of one particular syllabus.

According to Sri Aurobindo – the first principle of true teaching is that nothing can be taught. The teacher is not an instructor or a task master rather he is a guide or a helper to him. The teacher need not teach what knowledge is to the child but shows him the way to go about developing knowledge with their talent. The children have the free will to choose the subjects of their liking and the guides as well. They can concentrate on the subject they have chosen and neglect the other subjects. This is an entirely different setup that is practiced successfully in this centre for education. The system is integral in its approach and it provides a scope for simultaneous developments of the child physically, vitally, mentally and in psychic aspects as well.

Some other attractions for the visitors include Sri Aurobindo Handmade Paper Factory which is run by the Ashram. This is an internationally renowned factory which produces quality handmade paper. Apart from paper there are a wide range of exquisite products produced here. The collections of the works written by Sri Aurobindo are sold at the Ashram Book Shop located in the premises of the Ashram. Visitors to the Ashram have the facility to stay in the guest houses which are cheap and excellent. This Ashram has influenced several other yoga learning centres. The most important among these yoga learning centres is the famous International Centre for Yoga Education and Research which is also known as the Ananda Ashram.

Pudhucherry - beach

People both young and old have a liking in something or the other. Even when at home when there is rain we find kids playing in the water. They make paper boats and enjoy their time. Likewise people love the time they spend in the sea shores and beaches. Some of the beaches to be visited in this territory are the Serenity Beach, the Paradise Beach, Karaikal Beach, Mahe Beach and Yanam River Cruise. Let’s get to know about the specialties of these beaches in detail. 

 The Serenity Beach is 1.5 kilometers long. It’s a beautiful site to watch as it is cool and clean. This beach is ideally suited for relaxation, swimming and sun-bath. The pleasant breeze from the Bay of Bengal makes us to have a stroll or jog or sit in the parapet by the sea. The beach has a history behind it as this witnessed the bloodiest of the battles between the French and the British. The sea front is graced by an impressive statue of the Mahatma (M.K.Gandhi) set amidst eight exquisitely carved pillars and wonderful war memorial commemorating the soldiers who lost their lives during the World War I. The Lighthouse and the 284 meters long New Pier are located further south. 

The next is the Paradise Beach. This is called Plage Paradiso. This is located at Chunnambar near the mouth of the backwater. This is located about 8 kilometers away form Pondicherry towards Cuddalore Main Road. It is a perfect place for leisurely holiday and beach sport. The visitors can sail to the backwaters to the sands and pitch up a cozy sea side tent. One can see playing dolphins if cruised into the sea. 

 The next is the Karaikal Beach. This beach is an excellent place for watching the rising sun. The tourists can see the view of the slowly flowing Arasalar River meeting the sea which is simply breathtaking. The boating club on the beautiful backwaters of the Arasalar provides pedaller, motor and rowing boats to the tourists. The beautiful Mahe beach is a beach resort which is 22 kilometers south of Kannur in Kerala and is bordered by lush palm trees. There are numerous fishing hamlets. The Yanam river cruise is located in coastal Andhra Pradesh. Its beauty is enhanced by the spectacular Goringa Godavari River which meanders through rich mangrove forests.

Pudhucherry - Botanical Garden

A visit to Pondicherry is incomplete without making a trip to the Botanical Gardens. Pondicherry in general has a very fertile soil, which accounts for the greenery and vegetation around the place. It is little wonder then that the town boasts of one of the finest botanical gardens in the country .The Botanical Garden in Pondicherry is home to several species of rare and beautiful trees and plants.

The approach to the botanical gardens, which is in the heart of the city, is reminiscent of the French Architecture. The origin of the Botanical gardens dates back to 1826. A lot of exotic plant species were introduced by the French here and the garden itself is laid down in the French style. This place is bliss for nature lovers and is the best place to experience a lot of peace and calm.

The Garden serves as a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle of the everyday life. A lot of shady trees, beautiful flowers and the impressive layout of the park with pruned plants on paved roads help to create an atmosphere of sheer visual extravaganza. Tourists and students on study tour flock the place.

This is an inseparable part of Pondicherry tourism. The Botanical Gardens in Pondicherry have also been provided with a musical fountain. Colorful musical fountain shows are conducted on weekends and holidays. It provides for a wonderful sensory experience.

Pudhucherry - about Land

Area	:480sq.km
Capital	:Pondicherry
Languages	:Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, English and French
Population	:9,73,829
Males	:4,86,705
Females	:4,87,124
Literacy	: %
Districts	:4

The Union territory of Pondicherry encompasses an area of only 480 sq km with Pondicherry town and its villages covering 290 sq.km surrounded by the south Arcot District, Karaikal town and its villages covering 161 sq.km surrounded by Tanjavur district, Mahe and its villages covering 9 sq km surrounded by the Kerala state, and Yanam covering 20 sq.km within the East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh. While Pondicherry, the head quarters of the union territory, lies 162 km south of Madras and 22 km north of Cuddalore, Karaikal is about 150 km south of Pondicherry and Yanam about 840 km north-east of Pondicherry on the Andhra Coast. Mahe lies almost parallel to Pondicherry, 653 km away on the west coast.